UAAP

"Just a few steps at a time and eventually you'll get better." -- Jerrili Malabanan on daring to face her fears.

People can sometimes be the worst.

But people can also be the most inspiring source of strength, as FEU's Jerrili Malabanan will soon show.

Growing up in the U.S., Jerrili wasn't exactly the same in the eyes of her peers.

As she confides in the clip below, she was bullied and judged for being different from everyone else.

"Since I was one of the taller Asians, I used to get bullied a lot," she says, holding back tears, "It's like someone I don't even know is calling me names."

Recalling her story, you can feel the pain in her trembling voice as she holds off her tears. But as she slowly reveals her story, you can also see how much she's blossomed.

"Of course you have to show who you really are because if you try to change yourself for someone else, then I don't think you can actually be truly happy with life and the way you are."

She's steadily becoming FEU's most potent two-way players this season, embracing her height and putting it to her and her team's advantage, becoming one of FEU's most potent defenders at the net as part of the Lady Tamaraw's strong nucleus that's one of the strong favorites heading into the season.

She chose to tell her story, which is great because we need more pleasant people like her on the court, and beyond it.